The Thing He Hides
by Shiara-dono
Summary: Found a prompt on another site, and decided to write a story for it. Levi has wings, and does his best to hide his secret. How far will Eren go to find out what everyone is hiding? Minor ErenxLevi. Complete.


**The Thing He Hides**

Eren Yeager, resident Titan shifter, watched Levi as the Captain yet again walked away from everyone. He did this several times a day, disappearing for minutes on end. Sometimes one of the squad would go with him, but he would often go alone. No one had informed Eren why he did this, and it was beginning to bug him.

"Why does Heichou keep vanishing?" He finally asked one day. "Where does he go?"

Erwin, the Commander, looked at Eren, his eyes cool. "Where Levi goes is none of your business. You need only to obey him, and to hunt Titans."

Erin grit his teeth. Looking around, he saw clenched jaws and shifty eyes. They were all in on it, he realized. Whatever Levi was hiding, they all knew about it, and didn't want him to know. Feeling a bit sad, he sought out the company of Armin and Mikasa. At least they knew him and wouldn't keep secrets from him.

"You wish to know what the Captain is hiding?"

Eren paused. He'd been heading to his room for the night, after an exhaustingly long day. But Hanji was blocking the way. "I want to know what everyone is hiding, and why."

Hanji nodded. "I have my own reasons for wanting you to know." She handed him a small key. "Levi will be asleep by now. This key will get you into his room." She grinned. "I look forward to recording the results."

He watched Hanji walk away, feeling a bit perplexed. Was Levi's secret really that big of a deal? He looked at the key he held. If he needed it to get into Levi's room, no doubt the Captain would be pissed if he caught Eren in there. But Eren really wanted to know what everyone was hiding.

He made his way to Levi's quarters, careful not to get caught by anyone. Fitting the key into the lock, he hesitated for a moment, but eventually he turned the key and opened the door. Slipping inside, he closed and locked the door again. Then he turned around, and his mouth fell open.

Levi slept on a massive bed in the center of the room. He lay on his stomach, his arms resting under the pillow he had his head on. The blankets only covered him up to his waist and he didn't have a shirt on. Soft moonlight from a ceiling window made his skin look like porcelain. But that wasn't why Eren stared.

Looking at Levi, he saw the symbol incarnate of the 'Wings of Freedom' that were the emblem of the Survey Corps. The feathered wings rising from Levi's back were beautiful. One black wing, one white. From where he stood, Eren could see strap marks across the feathers. That explained why Eren hadn't known about the wings; Levi strapped them down.

The urge to touch was overwhelming. He wanted to know if the feathers felt as soft as they looked. As long as he was careful, he hoped he wouldn't get caught. Slowly, he stepped over to the bed and reached out a hand. He touched a feather with his fingertips, smiling. It was softer than he had imagined it would be. He stretched his whole hand against the feathers, caressing gently.

A shiver ran through Levi's body. Unbeknownst to Eren, the wings were extremely sensitive.

Eren continues to touch the wings in rapt fascination, unaware of what it was doing to Levi. He moved his hand up, running it along the muscular part of the wing that connected to Levi's back.

Levi moaned and shifted. He swayed as he sat up, eyes still closed. "I told you, Erwin." He mumbled sleepily. "I'm not interested in you like that." Yawning, he blinked open his eyes. It took him a moment before his eyes focused on the youth next to the bed. He paled. "E... Eren?!"

Eren jumped back, his hands automatically rising in salute. "Sir! I'm sorry, Sir! I couldn't resist."

Levi pulled his wings tightly against his body, but without the straps and cloak, he couldn't hide them. "What are you doing in my room, Yeager. And how did you get in here?"

"I... I was given a key, Sir. As to why... I was curious, Heichou. I wanted to know what your secret was." He paused. "They are beautiful."

Levi glared at him. "They are a nuisance. But I didn't choose to grow wings." He watched the male for a while, thinking of things he had never before considered. "Come here, Yeager." He said finally.

Eren stepped up to the edge of the bed, a bit unsure now.

"On the bed, Yeager."

Eren's mouth went dry. "But... but..."

"That's an order." Levi grabbed one of Eren's wrists, effortlessly hauling him onto the bed. He then turned his back to him and spread his bi-colored wings. "Stroke them." He commanded.

Eren's hands shook for the first couple of passes, but he soon relaxed and happily caressed the feathers.

Levi shivered under Eren's ministrations, biting his tongue to keep from moaning out loud. The kid sure had skilled hands. He leaned back against Eren as those hands found his sore shoulder muscles.

"Why do you hide the wings, Heichou?" Eren asked after a time. He brushed one hand against a strap mark on the feathers. "Keeping them bound must hurt."

"NO one would take me seriously otherwise." Levi mumbled quietly. With a sigh, he rolled away from Eren, placing his head on his pillow again. "Leave me now. You will not tell your friends what you discovered. And... I expect you back here again tomorrow night."

Eren quietly left Levi's room, locking the door behind him. He froze as he saw Erwin coming toward him. But the Corporal didn't look angry, just resigned.

"It is a curse." Erwin told him. "Each Captain of the Survey Corps has grown wings like that. The difference is, Levi was born with his. Which means he was born to be Captain. When he disappears, it is to unbind his wings for a few minutes at a time. He has to stretch them, or they hurt him too much." The Corporal sized him up. "You have a duty now, to protect his secret. Just like the rest of us do." Giving him one last cool glance, Erwin walked away. Eren watched him go, his thoughts whirling.


End file.
